How old are you? I was in Napoli for a few days last year, and I had a great time. Actually it is my favorite city that I visited throughout my 4 month stay in Italy. It was more or less a manifestation of all my preconceptions of Italy. Can you speak Italian? People there do not speak english.

Anyways, I ask how old you are because that is definitely important. As a 21 year old that could speak Italian, I had a great time, though I can see how it can be dangerous for tourists at night. I met lots of really cool Italian folks down there (much nicer than the ones up north) and speant less money than I did in the rest of the country. What part of town is the job in? HOW DID YOU GET A JOB THERE?!?!?!?!? What kind of job is it? I would kill for a job there, so if you decide you don't want it let me have it! If I am qualified whatsoever I will be all over it!

I loved Naples... though, I never lived there. I visited for about 5 days during the summer of 2000 and I thought it was amazing. Just like jrein said, it is all of what you think a large city in Italy is going to be like. It's dirty, loud, the people are friendly/great/nice/inviting...fill in other positive adjectives here, food is awesome. I do speak Italian well enough so I never felt any issues with the language barrier. I can tell you that when I did speak Italian, nobody spoke English back to me, which isn't the case in the North.

As far as violence goes, I took a CTEFL course in Rome last fall and there was what seemed to be daily gang violence in Naples on the nightly news. I doubt it is anywhere near as bad as LA, Chicago, New York, or any other American metropolis.

One of my favorite pictures from my trip is of a great dane sleeping on a pile of old clothes and garbage in the middle of the street... then there are also the Vespa/motonini traffic jams to watch out for. Or how about an entire family, including father, mother, and two kids tooling around on one scooter. I think we call that a minivan in the states.

I agree with you guys that Naples is a great place to visit as most of the comments have pointed out...BUT...as they say... great place to visit wouldnt want to live there!!! No offense to those wishing to artificially soak in the old world charm and smells of Napoli...but why bother? there are so many other cleaner, safer, beautiful, friendly, historical...i could go on...places in Italy. In my humble opinion, unless you have a lot of cash from the start {the only really nice places in Naples cost a fortune as they are geared toward tourists} the teacher payscale to quality of life ratio is just not that good anywhere in the south. My suggestion is just stick to the cities in the north{BOLOGNA is safe, clean, fashionable and VERY friendly}, get paid a bit more, youll also spend a bit more but at least the quality of life and service are more in tune to what most selfishly expect from Italy...La Dolce Vita!

I visited Italy 2 years ago, when I visited Naples I think that is when my hair started to go grey! I think the worst drivers in the world are in Naples! I think that they must have cars made of rubber or something because they have no fear, I say that all drivers in Italy (especially Naples) have M.S. Syndrome, Micheal Schumacher Syndrome to be exact! They all think they are F1 pilots and the streets are Monte Carlo! Good god people, anytime you can get hit on the sidewalk while walking and be blamed for getting in the way you know there is something wrong.
Naples is wonderful, great food, amazing history I think you can really feel Italy in Naples and Rome. I'm not to crazy about Milan and as much as I love Venice, it is strictly for tourist nowadays.
I think the girls wear more perfume in Naples then anywhere else in the country, and they travel in packs, like wolves (yes I was always begging to be eaten!)
Naples is great, if you go have fun.

A previous message stated that no one in Naples speaks English...well thats not exactly true... but the reality is that most dont speak it unless they study it in school where its FREE! Priorities are much different there...such as the 9 out of 10 girls looking hot! So, not much money is available or spent on English lessons...old supply and demand theory...Demand is low so prices are down...salaries paid to teachers are VERY LOW...Some parts of Naples are nice places to visit for tourist with CASH money but if you are looking to work to help the ends meet while your in Italy...Naples or most of the south is definitely not the place be as an English teacher. You may not like sharing your sidewalk cafe space with tourists in Venice and the cities like it in the north but at least working there youll be able to pay for your cappucino without too much having to watch your budget!

Naples is a chaotic but interesting place with many contradictions.
I have been living here and working as an EFL teacher for a while..my girlfriend is Napolitan , we socialise a lot with her friends and other families so I have got a pretty good grasp of what it's like to live here.

As a TEFL teacher expect to earn around 1000 euros a month and deduct at least 300-400 for accommodation unless you want to share with students or migrant workers.

The people are really nice and friendly and the place has vitality and energy that is missing from certain other places in Italy.
Yep the food is good , plenty of restaurants well within your budget and the shopping isn't bad either.

Plus points...
* Close proximity to Pompeii, Ercolano, Caserta, Casertavecchia, Positano, Sorrento, Salerno and the smaller villages on the Amalfi Coast.
* Beautiful Goddesses with raven black hair and sultry features that will blow your mind!
* People are friendly and outgoing.
* A city crammed with life and interesting buildings and events.
* Close to Capri, Ischia and Procida..romantic islands all three.
* Good cheap food
* Lots of great photo opps if you like that sort of thing.

Minus points...
* The fact that people will try and rip you off whenever possible..be they the school, your landlord or whoever.
* Getting around the city is a nightmare by public transport.
* You won't be earning enough to save anything.
* Petty crime, lots of drug addicts and the dirt and squalor.
* Chaos

I am off soon I hope...as a guy in my 30's my days of being content with just enough money to survive on are over.
Yes the city infuriates me but it is better to be somewhere with action and life than in some sleepy backwater where the opening of a new supermarket is the yearly event!!

I wouldn't want to live here and neither would my girlfriend who has lived here her whole life. I am glad I came but would prefer a more modernised organised functional and safe place to live.